MINI WAR FOUGHT OVER COURTHOUSE   

The following information is paraphrased from information in a 1939 The Indian Journal. It gives an historical account of the McIntosh County Court House and touches on the rivalry between cities of Eufaula and Checotah.  - Michael Gibson

Before statehood, a courthouse was located in two buildings, on the corner of 1st and Foley Avenues in Eufaula.  One on the Southeast corner was used for offices, another building on the Northeast corner was used for holding court.  After statehood, a two-story building on the Northeast corner of Main Street and Riley Avenue was rented and the courthouse was moved there. This building burned in July 1925 and many county records were lost.  After the fire, spaces in buildings all over town were rented for offices and courtroom. 

In 1926 a new courthouse was built at 110 North 1st Street, Eufaula.  The architect for this new building was Layton, Hicks and Roesyth.  Contractor was Tankersly Construction Company.

Much dissension occurred after statehood between Eufaula and Checotah because both towns wanted the county seat. In 1908 a large group of armed men boarded the train at Checotah and came to Eufaula with the intention of forcibly moving the county seat. When the men left the train in Eufaula, city Mayor R.B. Buford, sensing possible bloodshed, sent C.L. Follansbee to get Grant Johnson (famous Negro Indian early day Deputy U.S. Marshall who had retired to a farm West of Eufaula) to assist City Marshall Woods in maintaining law and order.  However before Johnson could get to town, Woods and Joe Parmenter, Checotah City Marshall, got into an argument at a well on the Northeast corner of Main and Foley Streets.  Shooting began and Woods was killed.  Some old timers say that Parementer killed him, however citizens from both cities were involved in the shooting and it was impossible at the time to fix blame.

The Checotah people returned home empty handed, but the next day, a man named “General” Dunlap (the General was a nickname), who lived North of Eufaula, came into town and said he was going to kill Ed Julian because of some controversy over the fight the day before. Julian was a county official who lived in Checotah, but stayed at the Foley Hotel in Eufaula. The Foley Hotel was located above the First National Bank building on the Northwest corner of Foley and Main Streets. Dunlap was carrying some coal oil and bacon when he arrived in front of the bank.  He placed the articles on a ledge outside the bank and went up the stairs to Julian’s room.  He knocked on the door and ordered Julian to come out.  After threats were exchanged through the locked door Julian became frightened and fired a volley of bullets through the door, killing Dunlap on the spot.  Julian was arrested and a hearing was held but he was released due to the fact that he had killed Dunlap in self-defense.